I’ll have to add another name or two after this round of voting ends so
feel free to add your voice in the comments section. I’ve seen calls
for Zach Lutz and Ruben Tejada among those guys who aren’t yet on the
ballot.

Lutz has shown to be a decent 3B already, which is significantly better than Duda at any position.

This isn’t Duda hate. I like what he did last year, I just am reserving judgment on him until I see it over a more extended period of time and if he can do it on the big stage. Lets face it, before last year, Duda was all about projection with little production. Slugging .462, .398 and .428 in his first three years in the minors. Hopefully, he proves last year was no fluke, and then he vaults to the top.

The injury bug is the big issue with Lutz. I think he will ultimately hit for a higher average and strike out less than Duda.

If I am being fair, I cannot argue against your preferring Duda, as I am making a similar leap of faith with Lutz. Likewise, I think it is equally legitimate to like Lutz over Duda – neither has performed for an extended enough period of time for my comfort.

I’m actually with the community on this one, at least in terms of their relative value. I have Cory Vaughn at #13 and Darrell Ceciliani at #16.

I think they both have potential and that they both have flaws in their games. I think they’re fairly close, but I do think that Vaughn is the better prospect. I’m much less concerned about Vaughn’s strikeout rate than I am about Ceciliani’s BABIP.

I think you’re being extremely bullish here. The Mets will hopefully start Ceciliani in Savannah. I think a jump all the way to AA by the end of the year is quite unlikely. Though I do think it’s feasible that he could finish 2011 in St. Lucie.

I’m not sure I get Juan Urbina’s appeal yet. He’s very young but his fastball is only in the high-80’s and his k/9 is like 7 (good but not great). As someone with very limited knowledge of both him and scouting in general, I must ask, is it just assumed that he’ll pick up significant velocity?

I feel it’s almost a guarantee that he’s gonna add velocity. High 80s and still only 17 (won’t be 18 until May), that’s pretty awesome. He’ll fill out and add arm strength for sure. Plus he’s a lefty and he has a decent changeup and breaking ball as well which is very promising for somebody so young. The fact that his dad was an all-star pitcher helps a lot too, it’s in his bloodlines. It is still very early on for him though, but i’m excited to see him progress. He had an up and down year, but he did have some really good starts, he was just inconsistent.

Wow! First time I’ve voted in the extreme minority. I voted for Cohoon over Duda who looks like a slightly better Chris Carter, Urbina who is still mostly promise, Cecilliani who I need to see in higher levels and Gee who does not even look remotely special. WHY? Because I think Cohoon has the potential to be a useful rotation pitcher and I think he might be ready by 2012.

What is it about the Cohoon that appeals to you more than Gee? They both seem to be high floor/low ceiling starting pitchers. Minor league totals:

Gee – k/9 7.96; bb/9 1.90
Cohoon – k/9 7.22; bb/9 2.37

Their stuff and command are very similar but Gee has at least some track level of success in MLB. The only difference I can think of is that Cohoon is LH. Also I saw Cohoon pitch a shutout in Brooklyn a couple years ago, which was rad.

The fact that Cohoon is a lefty definitely helps, because it’s just easier to make it as a lefty with limited stuff than as a righty.

But Cohoon’s main advantage is that he keeps the ball on the ground, which greatly improves his chances of making it as a low-strikeout pitcher. Gee is going to give up a lot of home runs in the majors.